The Once Over
by Lazuli73
Summary: Booth accidentally gives Brennan the once-over and Angela notices... oops! An entertaining conversation ensues. A brief, entirely fluffy, spoiler-free, fun one-shot. Come find out what they say!


"The Once-Over"

_A/N: This is a short piece of fluff that came to me one … evening? Morning?Some random time when I was thinking of Bones. It could be set in season 4 or 5, most likely, but it's not at all tied to any particular episode. Just a little bit of fun chit-chat between Brennan and Angela based on Booth's accidentally giving Bones the once-over. Enjoy! _

Disclaimer: I don't own _Bones._

. . . . .

Booth walked into Brennan's office a little after 7:30 that morning. They were in the middle of a case that had come in last night, so the lab hummed with activity even at that relatively early hour. Angela was in Brennan's office, giving her an update of the status of her artistic renderings of the victim's face.

"Mornin' Bones, how's it going?" he asked cheerfully. "Good morning to you, as well, Ange."

"Hello Booth," said his partner.

"Morning, Agent Studly," the latter said with a grin, falling into old patterns. "Only two coffees? That's not fair, I could use some caffeine too!"

"Well, you know," Booth stumbled over his words. "Bones and I…"

"I know, I get it, G-man. She's your partner, and all that."

"All that, right."

"Booth, if there's anything I need this morning, it's coffee. Thank you." She inhaled the pleasant scent.

As Booth started to say "You're welcome," he noticed how nice his partner looked that morning, as if she hadn't been up most of the night examining the new body. His eyes, moving apparently of their own volition, looked her up and down. He couldn't help but notice that she wore a chunky necklace, a group of jewel-colored beads that hung perfectly over her collarbones and onto the top of her chest; the beads offset the color of her eyes very well. From there, he saw that she wore a dark, wine-colored dress that twisted gently across her chest before curving over her hips and stopping just above the knees. Before he realized what he was doing, his eyes had traveled the length of his partner's body. Eyes returning to her face at last, he added, "as always."

"Booth?" said Angela incredulously. "Did you just give _your partner_ the once-over?" Her face wore perhaps the most wicked "Angela-grin" that he'd ever seen.

"Um, well… she looks very nice today, doesn't she."

"I'm right here, everyone." Bones said, adopting a no-nonsense tone.

"Right you are, Bones!" Booth said. He rather expected Brennan to ask Angela what she meant by "once-over," so he planned his hasty retreat. "You know what, you two were talking, and I think I need to go to the platform to, you know, check on how things are going there, so I'll just see you later, okay?" He backed away, paper coffee cup held out in front like a shield.

When Booth had passed through the doorway, Brennan turned to her friend. "It's not that big a deal, Angela. Booth gives me the once-over every once in a while. I kind of like it."

"Brennan? _Bren_?" Angela asked. "Do you mean to tell me you _know_ what a once-over means, not to mention that… you _like _it?"

"Of course I know what it means. It's a physiological response where a member of one sex takes in the possible external physical appeal of a member of the sex to which he or she is attracted, in order to assess their suitability as a possible mate. I myself have looked at Booth in this way on occasion." Brennan smiled triumphantly, clearly pleased to have surprised her friend not once, but twice, that morning.

"Sweetie!" She leaned toward her friend, her voice halfway between a whisper and a squeal. You've _looked _at Booth that way, and you haven't done anything about it? And he's _looked_ at you?" The free-spirited artist sounded absolutely incredulous. "I've been trying to get you to look at him for years, and you tell me you already have? What on earth is wrong with you two?"

Brennan laughed. "He's my partner, Ange. Not my mate. But just because he's my partner doesn't mean I don't also notice his other, more generally pleasing physical attributes, ones not directly connected to our work in the field."

Angela stepped closer as well, speaking quietly but normally. "And you don't think he finds your… physical attributes… pleasing as well? Come on, sweetie, based on this morning's evidence, you can't miss that he does!"

"Whether or not Booth finds me pleasing is none of my business, Angela. He's my partner, we're friends, and besides, there's a line we can't cross."

"Except with your eyes, it sounds like," Angela responded drolly. Brennan only laughed a knowing laugh of what sounded like agreement.

"All right, Angela. We have a facial reconstruction to get back to. Let's go find Cam and see if she's done with the bones yet."

"You're the boss, Bren… but don't think for a minute I'm going to forget _this_ conversation!"

Brennan laughed again, grabbed her coffee, and followed her friend out of the office.

_-the end-_

_(Total fluff, I know, but please let me know if it brings cheer to your Monday!)_


End file.
